As
a Nation we are blessed deeply and in many ways. The agriculture that sustains
us is truly one of those blessings. We do well to give thanks for our bountiful
crops. They are the yield of our fertile fields; of the skills and cooperation
of countless Americans, including farmers, ranchers, scientists, farm
organizations, commerce, and government; and, surely, of the liberty in which
the American people are free to work, create, and produce for their mutual
benefit.

Some
of the world's best farmland is here in our country; roughly half of the land
in the contiguous United States has a capacity for crop
production. Our bounty supplies needs both at home and abroad; today, one
American farmer produces enough food and fiber for 114 people. Our agricultural
production, processing, and marketing provide jobs, generate wealth, and
strengthen our economy, our standard of living, and our position in world trade
markets. Thanks to our agricultural efficiency, American consumers, on average,
spend less of their income on food than do citizens of any other nation.

As
we give thanks for our rich harvests, let us be sure to express gratitude to
all those in agriculture and its related endeavors who through the years have
contributed so much to our Nation and the world and who continue to shape and
to share the spirit and the heritage of the American people.

The
Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 265, has designated March
20, 1988,
as ``National Agriculture Day'' and authorized and requested the President to
issue a proclamation in observance of this event.

Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim March
20, 1988,
as National Agriculture Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day
with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and
twelfth.

Ronald
Reagan

[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register, 11:22 a.m., March 21, 1988]

Note: The proclamation
was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on March 19.